I read this blog today and would like to share some parts here. More importantly, I want to remind myself not to repeat the same mistakes as I made in the past years all over again and not to waste my time any more.

” You can settle for less than you deserve in many areas of life. A job you can’t stand going to. A man or woman you don’t know why you’re waking up next to, a car you hate getting into – but let’s talk about relationships, and why you should never, ever, settle for less than you deserve.

You’ll always be doubting yourself.

Why is it, exactly, that you can never decide if you’re actually happy or not? Maybe you’re content…comfortable…but are you happy? I don’t know. Could you do better? If you could, then why aren’t you? Is this it? Really…is this as good as it gets?

Self doubt is crippling. It follows you around in life like your shadow, and there never seems to be enough shade to shake it. If you settle for less than you deserve in a relationship, never having the freedom to truly be happy and let go of worry will haunt you.

You’ll never be truly fulfilled.

Part of the beauty of having ambitions, goals, and dreams in life is to have someone to share in them with. A partner, a teammate, someone to support and encourage you when times get rough, and to celebrate with you on the brighter days.

That’s not to say you can’t be fulfilled and happy if you’re single, of course you can. But the worst of all, is being with someone who does none of these things for you. Someone who is discouraging, or lazy, or doesn’t support you. Someone you’re planning a future with who has no future plans for themselves. Each step of life will feel like you’re pulling a little anchor behind you.

You won’t grow as much as a person.

Another great thing about having someone as part of your life is the lessons they can teach you. The new perspectives and outlooks that you would’ve never thought of before. The new experiences you can share in together – maybe things you wouldn’t have done without them.

If you settle into a relationship just for the sake of having someone, you will be defeating this purpose altogether. While there will be someone in your life, the insatiable thirst for life won’t be there. Waking up and going through the motions of daily life is merely existing, not truly living.You deserve someone who will add new logs of wood onto your fire for life, not someone who throws water onto it.

You won’t feel real passion.

To steal a line from Dreams For An Insomniac – “Unless it’s mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it’s a waste of your time. There are too many mediocre things in life; love shouldn’t be one of them.”

When you are attracted to someone’s looks and appearance, there is intensity. But when you are attracted to someone’s spirit, their soul, their whole being, there is real passion. If you settle for less than you deserve or want in a relationship, you are robbing yourself of the real passion that comes along with it.

Life is too short for average. Plus, it’s just as close to the bottom as it is to the top.

Settling for less than you deserve in a relationship is like filling your bathtub with happiness, but your partner is always poking holes in the floor without you realizing it. Building a solid foundation with someone will always feel like an uphill battle, only you won’t be able to see the summit.

Life is about progress and forward motion – don’t give your time to someone who hinders yours, you can never get any of it back. ”